A Tale of Two Quilt Tops and a Repair

As I was browsing some antiques last week, 

I found a few exciting treasures to bring home. 

The first one is a top that I will quilt.  

It has fabrics in it that remind me of some of the kits I have seen from the 1970s 

but also some quite older fabrics.  

It makes me think someone was trying to make a quilt with some found blocks

 and had to add some current fabrics to finish it up.  

I will be the one to finish it as a complete quilt.

This next one is also a top in need of quilting.  

It is cross stitch on preprinted blocks.

It also has the quilting lines preprinted on it. 

 If I had not just seen one of my quilty friends working on something similar, 

it would not have occurred to me to grab this one. 

I think it will make a sweet little quilt when done.

The last of the three I have featured on my 365 day blog.  

It is a complete quilt with the exception of the quite large and noticeable hole in it.

The damage is really mostly in the background fabric.

I figure I will need to sew five or six curved seams 

to replace the pieces that are damaged, 

sew the top back together, 

Frankenstein piece some batting, 

appliqué a new chunk of backing on it 

and add some hand quilting to match what is there. 

Good as done.

Wishing you things to be excited about,

Sharon

Hello, It's Been a While

It's been way too long since I've posted anything here, 

so here's a quick look at our backyard this very summery day. 

There are so many more cicada shells everywhere. 

The robins are quite active as are the silly squirrels.

Later as we were out and about 

we drove by for a sneak peek at the former residence of Little E, L and GB#1  

and then stopped to watch the sun go down on our way home. 

It was quite lovely. 

And lastly, here are Fireball and I at a company event 

at a nearby amusement park on Saturday. 

I am wearing my newly refashioned t-shirt.

Thanks for visiting.

Happy Fourth of July!

I do love to coordinate a holiday table.

I serged the bandanas together for a very quick table cloth project.  

Because of the rainy, soggy day, we ate inside, 

but the new table cover will work outside as well. 

The water for the flowers was tinted blue.

Corn muffins filled the patriotic cupcake liners.

M made red, white and blue pinwheel cookies.

We put fruit on mini skewers for a mini flag.

The dipped and decorated Rice Krispie treats were a big hit. 

Of course we had other food too, but I neglected to get photos of it all.

I will leave you with this quilt top I made on my recent trip to Shipshewana. 

The pattern is Stars and Stripes by Thimble Blossoms.

Happy Fourth of July!

Sharon

Summer Duds

I've been sewing.

If you've been following me for a while, you know I love the little details,

little tabs and collars,

pockets with trim,

mismatched pockets and sleeves,

and contrasting buttons.

It's all very summery.

It's all little boy.

Wishing you all the good summery things,

Sharon

The Costumes

While everyone else was carving pumpkins, I was icing the cookies that M made.

After the pumpkin fun it was time for pictures of the little people in costumes. 

Here is GB#4 in her Madeline outfit that I made for her.

GB#3 was a sly little fox.  His mom made the tail.

GB#2 joined her sister (GB#4) as Cinderella in her wedding gown.

 

GB#1 was excited to be a witch

 and was happy to tell everyone that witches say "ha, ha, ha" quite maniacally.

It was quite the feat, but I managed to get a couple shots with all four little ones. 

I hope your Halloween was as fun as ours. 

Sharon

Birthday Doll

I made this sweet little doll for a sweet little birthday girl. 

The pattern comes from Mollie Makes issue 14. 

I made a few changes to customize her. 

I used felted wool instead of wool felt.  Yes, there is a difference. 

I fused the wool to the base fabric 

and then used decorative machine stitches to secure the edges. 

I cut the front of the shoes differently to give the appearance of a Mary Jane shoe, 

and added a bow to the headband. 

GB#4 (the birthday girl) inspected her face and then promptly 

put the doll's head in her mouth.  

I believe this is the true sign of approval.

Wishing you time to create,

Sharon

Easter Dresses Revealed

As promised, here is the Easter dress reveal.  The patterns above are the ones I used.  

They came from my childhood home, have been in my possession for many years 

and are dated 1959 and 1957.

Dress number one was made for GB#4.

I love the details that are a part of the vintage patterns.

Of course, the dress alone was not enough.  It needed a sweet pinafore.

The back was just as sweet as the front.

The details continue on the pinafore.

Ruffled eyelet trim,

and a scalloped hem complete the look.

GB#4 seems happy with her new outfit.

Dress number two was made for GB#2.  

I used a different floral than the first dress but used the same pink gingham for the accents. 

The details continue on this dress.

It was such a joy to work on and complete these little treasures. 

I love the outcome.  Mom (CJ) was especially thrilled.

And since the girls were dressed in their new duds, 

I took the opportunity to do a quick photo shoot of their whole family. 

(T-Bone and CJ with GB#2 and GB#4)